Toronto

New Delhi

Let’s look back at where trends have gone in 2017, and where Calgary marketing trends in 2018 will go. In the digital age, marketing moves with remarkable speed and the landscape is constantly evolving. If you want to stay competitive, you need to pay attention to the latest trends. As we draw towards the end of 2017 its time to start thinking about your company’s marketing strategy for 2018. Let’s look at what has been trending in 2017 and where this will lead in the upcoming year.

Content, content, content. We’ve all heard content is important – and it continues to be true. Content is vital for your company and its relevance. Content brings customers to your website and keeps them there. Up to date, high-quality content will boost your SEO making your company easy to find. Amazing content will reduce your bounce rate and improve your SEO ranking. Google’s algorithm values readable content, making it a top priority for brand growth.

Influencer marketing. Influencer marketing has been gaining steam throughout 2017 and will continue to be an important marketing tool in 2018. Creating partnerships with Influencers in your brand’s field can be an amazing marketing tool for many companies. Whether your company sells products or services there are influencers that are the right match for your goals. The trick is finding influencers. For Calgary marketing agencies, it is helpful to look close to home. We recommend getting involved with your local demographic and interact with popular figures. This will be the most organic way to connect with potential partners.

The reason influencer marketing is so powerful is the preexisting relationship between influencer and the consumer. Any product that they promote will leverage the trust and respect they have already established with their audience.

Mobile Friendly Marketing. More and more business is moving from the desktop and to the mobile device. Mobile marketing may mean developing a mobile-friendly site, mobile marketing or app development. Having a mobile website and embracing mobile marketing is vital for success. With 56% of website traffic being mobile, it can be a deal breaker for consumers if your website doesn’t load properly on their mobile device.[i]

Try adding an app to your mobile marketing, many businesses are forgoing membership cards and replacing them with apps. Creating an app for your business ensures that your consumers have quick and easy access to store’s products, locations and promotions. And another bonus, customers always have their phone on them.

Going live. Live streaming is the way of the future. It is an awesome opportunity for a brand to connect directly with their customers. This is an exciting time to start live streaming as it is in its infancy. No one has perfected it yet, so don’t feel intimidated, give it a try!

All the previously mentioned tools will continue to be important in 2018, with the addition of some new tactics. Calgary marketing agencies can incorporate these techniques into their 2018 Calgary marketing plan.

Artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence will be taking the main stage in 2018. Interest in this technology is beginning to peak and brands are experimenting with artificial intelligence in their apps. This is on the cutting edge of Calgary marketing and it will be interesting to see how it will develop in 2018.

Ephemeral content. Brands are putting more effort into their ephemeral content on social media platforms. Snapchat and Instagram stories content automatically deletes in 24 hours and offers brands a place to provide authentic and interactive content for their users. The fast-paced and fluid nature of ephemeral content provides a unique opportunity to marketers to test their latest content in a low-risk environment.

Predictive Analysis. Companies have begun using predictive analysis to most optimize their marketing. By collecting and analyzing past metadata allows them to predict what will be more effective in the future. This means what to market to which customers when. Predictive analysis will continue to improve throughout 2018 and become a vital tool.

Video. Some of the most shareable content on social media is videos. Facebook and Instagram’s automatic play features immediately grabs the consumers eye as they scroll. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth more. Incorporating shareable videos will be a must in 2018.

The upcoming year of marketing will be an exciting time to double down on tactics that have proven effective in 2017 and experiment with cutting-edge approaches that will become prominent in the new year. A balanced combination of traditional marketing coupled with new digital marketing will guarantee success for brands in all industries.